LAUSR

Abstract In this study, comparative experiments were conducted on the adsorption of cationic blue onto graphene oxides (GOs) synthesized by graphites with various graphitization degrees. XRD, XPS, FT-IR, Raman, AFM and BET were used to characterize the prepared GOs. The results demonstrated that graphites with lower graphitization degrees were more easily oxidized, and GOs prepared from those graphites had more oxygen-containing groups, higher degrees of defects, thinner layers and higher specific surface areas. The equilibrium data was in better agreement with the Langmuir model than both the Freundlich model and the Temkin model. In addition, the adsorption of cationic blue on the GOs was well-described by the pseudo-second order kinetics model according to the kinetic experiments. Moreover, the thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the adsorption was both an endothermic and spontaneous process.